23:26
Lebanese boy tests negative for bird flu
A 6-year-old Lebanese boy suspected of having bird flu was released from the hospital Saturday after tests showed he was not infected with the disease, his doctor said. Mohammed Bilal Taleb was transferred from his home in northern Lebanon to a state hospital in Beirut on Thursday suffering a high fever
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23:04
London whale headed back to sea but rescue workers pessimistic
The River Thames whale was headed back to sea Saturday swaddled in blankets on a rusting salvage barge, but faced a race against time to reach deep waters as rescue workers confirmed it was in rapidly deteriorating health.
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22:50
Suspect in Renaissance figurine theft turns himself in
A suspect in the theft of a precious Renaissance figurine turned himself in and police said Saturday they believe they have recovered the object, stolen almost three years ago from an Austrian museum.
A police official said the suspect was being questioned after showing up at a precinct on Friday
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22:44
Pimlico under quarantine for equine virus
Pimlico Race Course is under quarantine because of an outbreak of the equine herpes virus at the track. Since Jan. 1, 11 horses have shown signs of the virus, prompting the Maryland Department of Agriculture to place an "investigational animal hold order" on three barns
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22:29
Plushenko wins fifth title as Europeans end
Evgeni Plushenko won a fifth men's title Saturday to seal another Russian sweep of the gold medals at the European championships. It was the third time in the last four years that the Russians had won all the titles on offer
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21:59
Extreme cold and snow hit Poland
Four people froze to death in Poland's cold spell, media reported Saturday, while two others were killed when a roof collapsed under the weight of snow.
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21:37
Alitalia cancels dozens of flights because of labor unrest
State airline Alitalia said continuing labor unrest had forced it to cancel dozens of flights Saturday as the government called a meeting next week with union officials to resolve the crisis, company and union officials said.
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20:55
Hungary hands over black box recovered from crashed military plane to Slovakia
Hungarian police on Saturday handed over a black box recorder to Slovak officials who will analyze it for clues to what caused a Slovak military plane to crash into a mountain, killing 42 people.
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20:30
Israel's Sharon remains critical but stable, still hooked up to a respirator
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remained in critical but stable condition and was still hooked up to a respirator on Saturday after suffering a massive stroke Jan. 4, a hospital spokeswoman said.
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20:05
Dozens injured after police clash with anti-government protesters in Bangladeshi capital
Riot police in the Bangladeshi capital used tear gas and batons Saturday to stop a protest march by about 3,000 opposition activists, injuring at least 30 people, witnesses said.
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19:35
Turkish plane carrying U.S. bird flu experts returns to airport after detecting malfunction
A plane carrying a team of U.S. government flu experts was forced to return to an airport in eastern Turkey Saturday after detecting a malfunction, an official said Saturday.
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19:25
Rescuers attempt to save whale stranded in central London
Marine rescue officials lifted a whale stranded in London's River Thames onto a barge Saturday, more than 24 hours after its unexpected arrival in the capital. But experts warn the whale may not survive.
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19:15
Pakistan tells U.S. not to repeat attacks on Pakistani villages
Pakistan's foreign minister told a senior U.S. diplomat on Saturday that the two countries must work together to avoid a repeat of U.S. attacks like last week's strike on a Pakistani border village that killed civilians.
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18:45
Animal rights activists stage naked protest in Barcelona
Baring all in chilly weather, animal rights activists staged a naked protest Saturday in northeastern Barcelona to denounce the torture and slaying of animals to make fur coats.
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17:59
Japan, North Korea to resume talks in Beijing
Japan and North Korea will resume talks on normalizing relations in Beijing next month, a news report said Saturday. The two countries will also discuss Pyongyang's past abductions of Japanese citizens and the communist regime's nuclear weapons program in the week starting Feb. 5, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unidentified sources
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17:46
U.S. Treasury Department delegation visits South Korea
A U.S. Treasury Department delegation arrived in South Korea Saturday for talks on alleged illegal North Korean financial activities that prompted U.S. sanctions against the communist country. The four-member delegation is scheduled to hold meetings with South Korean officials on Monday to explain the Treasury Department's decision to impose sanctions on the North, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement
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17:35
Australia angry with Indonesia of Papua shootings
Australia has asked Indonesia to explain the shooting of protesters in Papua province, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said Saturday, but he declined to speculate on whether the incident was linked to the flight of dozens of asylum seekers from the restive region
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17:22
German defense minister hopeful of diplomatic solution on Iran
Germany's defense minister said in an interview released Saturday that he is hopeful of a diplomatic solution to the impasse over Iran's nuclear program, but argued that "all options" should remain open. Asked by the Bild am Sonntag weekly whether the threat of a military solution should remain in place, Franz Josef Jung was quoted as saying: "Yes, we need all options
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17:10
Palestinian security forces begin voting parliamentary for candidates
Palestinian security forces cast ballots for parliamentary candidates Saturday in the official start of this week's Palestinian elections, an advance vote that reflected the fragile security situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The 58,700 security personnel, who will be permitted to vote through Monday, are being deployed on election day Wednesday to prevent possible political violence
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16:35
Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II back in prison
The man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 began his first day back in an Istanbul prison Saturday, while his brother led a brief protest outside the penitentiary accusing authorities who ruled for his return to custody of bowing to government pressure. Mehmet Ali Agca was returned to Kartal prison, the same Istanbul lockup from which he was released eight days ago, on Friday, hours after an appeals court ruled he should serve out his full sentence for the killing of a Turkish journalist and other crimes. His return followed public outrage at his early release
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16:20
Quake camps in Pakistan needed until summer
Tent camps sheltering earthquake victims in devastated northern Pakistan may be needed for another six months, a U.N. official said Saturday, as the United States signed a US$200 million grant for rebuilding the country. Visiting U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns signed over the aid money, part of US$510 million earlier pledged by Washington, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said. The grant covers four years, with the first US$15 million available Saturday
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16:11
Sunnis gain, Shiites will need to form coalition government
Sunni Arab politicians called Saturday for a government of national unity and signaled they will use their increased numbers in parliament to curb the power of rival Shiites who have claimed the biggest number of seats in the new legislature. Also Saturday, a U.S. Muslim advocacy group arrived in Baghdad to issue an appeal for the release of American hostage Jill Carroll, seized Jan. 7 in Baghdad. Kidnappers threatened to kill her unless all women detainees were released by Friday, a deadline which passed without any releases or word of her fate
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16:00
Emir wants to take oath
The speaker of parliament said on Saturday the newly named but ailing emir wants to take the oath of office, signaling discord within the ruling family. Some in the family had asked that the prime minister, half brother to the former emir who died a week ago, be named to take charge of the country because Sheik Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah was too ill
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15:50
Pope chooses new envoy to Israel
Pope Benedict XVI has named a diplomat now serving in the Philippines to be the Holy See's envoy to Israel and Cyprus. The Vatican said on Saturday that Archbishop Antonio Franco would serve as nuncio in Jerusalem, replacing Archbishop Pietro Sambi who last month was named to Washington
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15:35
Syrian president doesn’t help to unravel Hariri assassination
President Bashar Assad, invoking Syria's national sovereignty, indicated Saturday he would not submit to an interview request from the U.N. investigation into Rafik Hariri's assassination. In a speech to the Arab Lawyers Union, Assad pledged, however, to continue cooperation with the international probe the former Lebanese premier's assassination. The U.N. investigation has said Syria has not been sufficiently forthcoming and the Security Council demanded full cooperation
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15:25
Former British sports minister would buried in London
The funeral of a former British lawmaker and sports minister who died in the United States, took place in London Saturday. Tony Banks, 62, who took the title Lord Stratford last year, was on vacation on Sanibel Island, in Florida, when he suffered a stroke two weeks ago
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15:12
Russian, Ukrainian nuclear officials expand cooperation
Russian and Ukrainian officials held talks Saturday aimed at expanding cooperation in nuclear energy, amid Kiev's interest in producing its own nuclear fuel for power plants. Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Russian atomic energy agency, headed the Russian delegation in talks with Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov and other senior Ukrainian officials. Ukraine currently has four operating nuclear power plants that produce about half of its electricity production, but it depends on Russia for fuel
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14:57
Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova dies
Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova, who had been suffering from lung cancer, died on Saturday, Kosovo officials close to the president said. He was 61. A Western official in the provincial capital of Pristina confirmed that Rugova had died. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to make a public announcement on the president's death
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14:44
Bombings in Iraq: 9 killed, including British security worker
At least eight Iraqis, including an army major and a group of butchers, were killed Saturday in a spate of bombings and shootings across Iraq. Britain announced the death of one of its nationals in a roadside bombing. The violence came a day after the announcement of uncertified final results for Iraq's Dec. 15 parliamentary elections, a step which many Iraqis, plus U.S. officials, hoped could pave the way for a curbing of the rampant insurgency
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14:32
U.S. to free Iraqi women in exchange of release of American reporter
A U.S. Muslim advocacy group arrived in Baghdad on Saturday to plead for the release of American hostage Jill Carroll, while an Iraqi official urged U.S. forces to free detained Iraqi women in a bid to save the journalist. The deadline set by Carroll's kidnappers, who have threatened to kill her unless American forces release all Iraqi women in military custody, passed late Friday and no word has been heard on her fate. The 28-year-old was abducted Jan. 7 in a tough west Baghdad neighborhood
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